Key Democrats demand Pentagon revise climate change report

Top Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee are demanding the Defense Department submit a revised report on the effects of climate change, citing the omission of key assessments required by law.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA), Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), chairman of the intelligence, emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee, and Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), chairman of the readiness subcommittee, have sent a letter to Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan requesting he resubmit the report by April 1.

"In 2017, House Democrats successfully required the Department of Defense to report on the impact that climate change will have on U.S. military installations," Smith said in a statement. "The Trump administration has now released that report and, unfortunately, it is inadequate. It demonstrates a continued unwillingness to seriously recognize and address the threat that climate change poses to our national security and military readiness."

The lawmakers' letter says DOD was required by the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act to provide Congress with a report that assesses the top 10 military installations for each service that are most vulnerable to climate change over the next 20 years, along with mitigation plans and expected costs. The assessment, however, was not included in the report DOD submitted earlier this month.

"While this climate report acknowledges that nearly all the military installations it studied are vulnerable to major climate change impacts, and provides numerous installation-level examples of those impacts, it fails to even minimally discuss a mitigation plan to address the vulnerabilities," Smith said. "The Department of Defense presented no specifics on what is required to ensure operational viability and mission resiliency, and failed to estimate the future costs associated with ensuring these installations remain viable. That information was required by law. The Department of Defense must develop concrete, executable plans to address the national security threats presented by climate change. As drafted, this report fails to do that."

Langevin said DOD's report falls "well short" of what Congress intended.

"The Defense Department's initial report does not adhere to the requirements plainly spelled out in my amendment, and it does not reflect the magnitude of the threat that climate change poses to our military bases around the globe," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, President Trump tweeted about climate change Monday: "In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global [Warming?] Please come back fast, we need you!"

But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tweeted Tuesday: "Winter storms don't prove that global warming isn't happening." The tweet included a link to a 2015 NOAA article explaining winter weather can be unusually cold, despite climate change.

Garamendi said it is "shameful" that the Trump administration refuses to take climate change seriously.

"The inadequate report that was provided to Congress failed to offer any solutions or strategies to address the impact climate change will have on our national security," he said. "The administration is required by law to provide this information to Congress, and I will do everything in my power to ensure we receive this vital information in a timely manner."